Mages and the Gauntlet
Mages and the Gauntlet Dusk employs custom rules for mages crossing into the Gauntlet. So please take a quick read if you plan on having your mage interact with the spirit world. The Winds of Reckoning The Gauntlet between the material world and the spirit one is aptly named. The loss of beleif in the fantastic and the reinforcement of the Technocratic paradigm as humanity 'advances' itself scientifically has taken its toll. Reality has become static, and punching a hole through that and stepping through to the other side is a dangerous proposition. The Gauntlet was once weak and far easier to cross, but as the Ascension War raged and the Traditions slowly lost, what is known as the Winds of Reckoning that blow across the Gauntlet have boiled into a storm over the ages, making it more dangerous and difficult to pass through as time progressed. This storm is a byproduct of the Ascension War and has been building for decades, as well as the condition of modern times. This storm only affects those who have Avatars. Crossing the Gauntlet unprepared is extremely dangerous. If you do not properly shield yourself and your Avatar from the storm, the Winds of Reckoning will tear it, and you, apart. Stepping Sideways The effect used for stepping sideways is the Pierce Gauntlet rote (Spirit 3). Note that you can/will take damage from the Winds of Reckoning when you do this unprotected. Mages can push through the Gauntlet and into the Near Umbra. Once in the Umbra, the mage walks and interacts with the place just like always, but as a being of ephemera instead of as a material entity. The mage is always noticeable to those who know what to look for. Living beings stand out in the Umbra, especially if they visit the deadlands. Traveling through the Gauntlet to the Spirit World is usually done as an extended ritual — the mage makes a real or symbolic journey and eventually passes into the spirit world. The difficulty of such a journey varies with the thickness of the Gauntlet. Should the mage botch, he may well become stuck. In such a case, only another mage able to reach into the Gauntlet can pull him out or push him through. . The Avatar Storm's Effects Crossing the Gauntlet is a very dangerous journey unless done with extreme care. The storm winds of the Reckoning lash the very Avatars of those mages who dare to cross into the Mirror Worlds unprepared. : When a mage crosses into the Umbra unprepared, roll the mage's permanent Paradox + Arete (difficulty 6). Each success indicates one level of Aggravated damage as the storm winds flay the mage's enlightened spirit! In some particularly nasty cases, mages have even had their Avatars flayed apart by the storm winds, getting haplessly dumped back in the material world with less power and sometimes horribly Gilguled. Properly prepairing to cross the Gauntlet and buffering oneself from the storm while sheilding your Avatar from its wrath is a difficult proposition and only achievable through extended ritual, or with a powerful Stormwarden to protect you on your journey across. *Each point of Gauntlet rating requires two successes to counter. Bringing additional items beside your clothing, foci, and any Wonders you own require additional successes, unless they are 'connected' to your Pattern first through a rote. *Use the Extended Casting rules to determine how long it takes. The ritual will never take less than 10 minutes per point of Gauntlet rating. Mages with 5 dots of Arete and 5 dots in Spirit may ignore this rule, as may those with the Natural Channel merit found on pg 295 of Mage revised; their rituals take only as long as it takes to garner the proper number of successes. *Returning to the Material world from the Umbra is far easier, and requires just a standard roll with a number of successes equal to the Gauntlet of the area - the prior ritual protecting them on the journey back. As an example, to cross over at a node is a difficulty of 3. To cross here would require at least half an hour minutes of ritual, and 6 or more successes. Whereas Crossing in most urban areas is a difficulty of 7, requiring over two hours of ritual (140 minutes), and at least 14 successes. . Gauntlet Chart The Gauntlet may vary by up to two points due to local conditions. Category:mage Category:spirit Category:spirits Category:umbra